Redhawk Caldera Bringin' home a baby bumblebee

For any and all firebirds, or their parents! :) @Wildfire @Raven @Nightjar @Peregrine @Fox

Elwood hadn't yet visited the Redleaf-DiSarinno rendezvous site, so that was the first thing on his agenda as he rose with the sun. He knew the family had been there for about a week, and had been conscious to give them plenty of time to settle in. But by now, he was itching to visit his nieces and nephew and check out their new home. He was sure that the babes were enjoying their new independence and freedom, as were their parents.

Finley had already left the den during the early hours of the morning, so Elwood was alone as he emerged into the morning light. He stretched his legs, then began to jog south, following the scents of his leaders and their children. The Beta took his time, and it was nearly midday by the time he reached his destination.

The firebirds could not be seen, so he assumed they were out and about; he came to a halt at the crest of a gently rolling hill and looked down its slope. Lake Rodney sparkled in the distance and the tall grasses swayed as a soft breeze whispered past. He paused for only a moment before giving a sharp bark, intending to draw the attention of Nightjar, Wildfire, or Raven.

Within a few days of their introduction to the rendezvous site, the Redleaf-DiSarinno pups had established a routine of sorts. They knew when food would be brought, and spent a lot of their time exploring the vast site, often out of sight of one another and the adults. Nightjar had taken the longest to wander away from the centre of the clearing, proving himself to be a very social young wolf who preferred to be around others than away from them. His reluctance to wander away did wane eventually, however, and soon enough he was disappearing into the trees regularly.

It wasn't for naught, though. Nightjar had rubbed his fluffy body against almost half the trees surrounding the rendezvous site. He spent hours meticulously circling each trunk and depositing tufts of his downy hair wherever it happened to snag. Sometimes the rough bark would tug his firmer hairs and he would wince, but he was quickly learning to ignore that. Occasionally, the boy would unsteadily hike a leg like Peregrine had shown him and would pee on the base of a tree, but he was unable to mark most of the trees this way, as he couldn't yet control his bladder well enough.

He was mid-piss when a masculine bark made him lift his head and perk his good ear. He dropped his leg before he was finished and began to run, soaking his left thigh in the process while his bladder finished emptying itself. He tore up the hill, his tall ears flopping comically, and excitedly acknowledged the Beta with a shriek of, "Elwoot!"

Wildfire was keeping quite busy on this crisp April morning. She felt the weight of her parents' and siblings' curious gazes as she painstakingly collected each stick, stone and other items in her hoard near the clearing's center and relocated them into the badger den at the far side of the rendezvous site. (The pup didn't even stop to question how the collection had made its way here from the whelping den. Thanks, mom and dad.) It was a redundant task yet the little Naturalist-in-training sported a broad smile the entire time, despite the various objects in her mouth.

Elwood arrived near the completion of this task, with the pile having dwindled to a final few items. Wildfire was striding back to the clearing's center to take inventory of her stockpile and choose which thing to move next when she heard her uncle's bark. She hastened her step, exploding into view and galloping on ungainly paws toward the Beta male. And, as it turned out, she was racing Nightjar there.

Nightjar beat her, though that didn't bother her in the least. "Uncle El!" she cried excitedly upon reaching him. She jumped up to nip his chin, then pranced at his anterior, golden eyes dancing. She favored her brother with a quick sideways glance and a wave of her black tail before refocusing on their godfather and breathlessly telling him, "Guess'ut! I finded a dadgerben! Duddy tol' me!"

It didn't take long for two of the three spunky firebirds to show themselves. First to appear was Nightjar, barreling from the trees on the outskirts of the clearing. Elwood grinned broadly, watching his nephew race up the slope towards him. Movement from a bit further south distracted him, and he shifted his gaze to the reddish blur of Wildfire, moving at an equally exuberant pace towards him.

They both greeted him with enthusiasm, and his tail began to swing in a wide arc behind him. Wildfire nipped at his chin then began to dance around him on nimble paws, drawing his attention first and foremost -- but only because she began to babble excitedly at him. He was initially surprised by the clarity of her speech; her words tumbled out in a rush, but he could understand everything she was saying. It was then that Elwood became aware of just how quickly time could pass -- wasn't it just the other day that she was speaking nonsensically?

"A badger den?!" the Beta exclaimed, his expression matching the tone of his voice as he widened his eyes and looked down at Wildfire. He glanced over to Nightjar, then back to the dhole look-a-like. "Want to show us?" he asked, certain that the adventurous young pup would be all too happy to lead the way.

Skipping NJ with permission.

Despite her excitement, Wildfire considered his question a moment. Did she want to share it with them or keep it to herself? She looked at her brother, eyes narrowing in thought. Then she looked back up at her uncle's chin and yipped, "Okay! Come!" Without waiting for a response, Wildfire spun on her heel and began to make a beeline back toward the trees when she suddenly remembered her original endeavor. She retraced her steps slightly and snatched up one of the last few items in the pile: an acorn.

Exchanging a glance with the two males, she then began loping to the clearing's edge, then into the trees where the badger den lay hidden. In her excitement and haste, she stumbled and nearly fell a few times but managed to keep her feet. Before long, they arrived at the small, squat hole in the ground. Wildfire immediately ducked inside, deposited the acorn, then pivoted to stand in the little doorway to show off her discovery.

@Nightjar, not sure if you want to jump back in after this or not. :)

Wildfire seemed excited to share her discovery with her relatives as she beckoned them to follow her. She took off and Elwood moved after her, reaching down to nudge Nightjar along. He didn't have to move all that fast, despite the pups' speed -- their legs were much shorter than his and their little paws pattered rapidly on the ground in time with his slower, swinging strides.

Soon enough, they arrived at their destination and Wildfire slipped into the den with pride. It wasn't very large, but it would be big enough for an adult to squeeze inside if necessary -- which Elwood would learn firsthand when he and Wildfire used it as a shelter from a storm. For now, he remained outside, lowering himself onto his haunches and craning his neck to peer inside.

"That's awesome, Wifi," he said, his tail thumping the ground. "What do you have in there?" She had put down her acorn, and he could see a small pile of other assorted items behind her.

Feel free to toss him back in at anytime, of course. In the meantime, I'll pretend he's along for the ride, lol. :)

Although she wanted to show off her neat find, as well as the treasure trove stored within, Wildfire felt pretty protective of her growing collection. When Elwood asked about it, she took a cagey step sideways, momentarily blocking all her wares from view. She glanced at him, then at Nightjar. Surely they wouldn't take anything from her precious collection... but what if they broke something by accident? Wildfire was reluctant to let them get too close.

But in the end, her desire to please won out and she stepped sideways, seating herself in the corner of the doorway. "My caulkshin," she said quietly, keeping a close eye on the males as they presumably investigated the various odds and ends stashed in the den. "Duddy kilt the badger!" she remembered suddenly. "And we eated it," she finished, shooting Nightjar a smug, conspiratorial grin. They hadn't even realized it at the time!

At first, Wildfire moved to block their view of her treasures. Elwood didn't pressure her to let them see; he simply waited patiently to see what she would do next. And he was rewarded when she edged away from it and sat down, indicating that it was her "caulkshin" -- thankfully, he was becoming adept in deciphering toddler-speak and quickly interpreted that she was trying to say "collection." Her excitement suddenly grew as she informed Elwood that Peregrine had killed the badger that once lived there, and that the little family had consumed it.

His tail thumped the ground heartily behind him as he shifted his gaze from the pile of trinkets to Wildfire's shining face. "He did?" he queried incredulously. "Your duddy is a great hunter." Peeking past Wifi once more, he then ventured to ask, "What do you have in your collection? If you don't mind showing me and NJ."

Elwood seemed interested in both the subject of the badger's untimely demise, as well as the variety of trinkets stored inside its former home. He asked what her collection contained. Rather than answer him right away, Wildfire glanced at Nightjar—who appeared equally as curious as their godfather—and then back to Elwood's face. She then stepped inside, sticking close to the wall so she wouldn't obscure their view of her pile of treasure.

"Lots'a stuffs," she said. Rather than provide an itemized list of her inventory—especially since she didn't know the names for half the stuff in her little hoard—she stretched out a foreleg and pointed her little red toes at some of the nearest items. She wondered if he remembered the old hoof (now practically destroyed beyond recognition) or the shard of quartzite they had found on their day of grand exploration.

"Looks like a toof," Wildfire observed aloud, one corner of her mouth turning up in a smile as her golden eyes studied his face to see if he would recognize the speckled lavender stone.

Obediently, he observed Wildfire's collection, his gaze skimming over the variety of items she had gathered. There were a lot of odds and ends, and he almost didn't recognize the hoof she had once used as a chew toy. He grinned at the sight of it, though, and then she pointed out a piece of quartzite. If he remembered correctly, she had picked the pale purple stone up the day that they explored the rotten log. His tail swayed gently, pleased to see that the object had made it into her pile.

"It does look like a tooth," he agreed with a nod of his head. "You've got a lot of great stuff in there," he then added, glancing at Nightjar, who also seemed to be interested in his sister's possessions.

I thought I'd wrap this one up for us. :) <3

Both Elwood and Nightjar seemed impressed by her collection, which caused Wildfire's chest to puff up with pride just a little. She remained on the sidelines for a few moments longer, letting them finish taking stock. There was quite a lot of treasure to sift through in her trove, after all.

"Wanna he'p me carry t'rest?" she piped up after a few more minutes. Without waiting for an answer, she motioned for them to accompany her back to the clearing. With three mouths instead of just one, they could surely finish transporting the rest of her stockpile in one trip, maybe two. "C'mon!" she urged, leading the way as she bounded on gawky limbs back toward the clearing.